Exclusive | Julia Louis-Dreyfus says Seinfeld's Elaine would have been an MCU villain, opens up on her Thunderbolts role

Julia Louis-Dreyfus talks to HT about her role in Marvel's Thunderbolts and where her iconic Seinfeld character would stand in the MCU.

Updated on: Apr 27, 2025, 15:34:32 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase V is coming to an end with the upcoming release, Thunderbolts. The film, which continues on from Black Widow and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is meant to set up the next phase of the MCU. And pivotal to that setup is the character Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the devious version of Nick Fury. Ahead of the release, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays Val in the MCU, talks about her role and more. (Also read: Thunderbolts first reactions call film 'one of the best Marvel movies in years', leak praises 'amazing' action scenes)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentine Allegra de Fontaine (L) in the MCU, and as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld (R).

Julia Louis-Dreyfus on her Thunderbolts character

Thunderbolts hints that Valentina has replaced not just Nick Fury but also Tony Stark. The new promos show her bossing around in the Avengers Tower (sinisterly nicknamed the Watchtower now). Ask her if she is a combination of the two iconic characters, and Julia responds, "I think you're spot on. That's why it was fun to play her; we haven't seen a character like this in the MCU. She is a complicated, maybe shady, maybe not person. You don't know if she is telling the truth or not. The mystery around her is a delicious area to play in."

Can Elaine from Seinfeld be a Marvel villain?

Julia had first gained fame in the early 90s playing Elaine Benes on Seinfeld. Ask her how the morally ambiguous Elaine would fit in the MCU, and she responds with a laugh, "She would be a bad guy, and then she would not make it past the first story she was in. Somebody would off her and that would be the end." And if Elaine ever crosses Valentina in the story? "Val would crush her like a bug," exclaims Julia.

All about Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts is MCU's first antihero/villain-led film as it focuses on a team of misfits trying to stop a greater threat. Directed by Jake Schreier, the film stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, and Hannah John-Kamen. It is set to release in India on May 1 and globally on May 2.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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